Explore this editor's choice collection of resources related to earth science. This is a perfect list to share during Earth Science Week in October, or anytime throughout the year. Read the descriptions to find out whether a site sounds right for what you want to know. Don't miss the "In the classroom" ideas for specific projects or ideas for before, during, and after reading. There is also an additional link to all of TeachersFirst's resources tagged Earth.

In the Classroom

This collection includes resources for all grades. Each review includes several classroom use ideas. These are excellent tools to use to study for the big test! Save (or bookmark) this list for students to use to review. Explore the activities suggested.

Capture the interest of your most reluctant students with these STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) projects presented through music videos and guided inquiry challenges. Rock videos provide the basis for the learning concepts followed by a series of question and answers along with student challenges. Examples found on the site include lessons on simple machines demonstrated through a chain reaction and creating sound through everyday objects. Other resources include educator guides and student journal worksheets. If your district blocks YouTube, then they may not be viewable. You could always view the videos at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as ClipGrab, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Delight your students with the videos and activities provided on the site to include with your current science lessons. Place students in groups to complete the challenges offered. Have students take collaborative, digital notes using Webnote, reviewed here; tell students to be sure to save the URL to share their notes and questions with you and their peers. Ask students to record their work images and video. Share final projects including the digital research notes, images, and videos using a multimedia presentation tool like Sway, reviewed here.

Learn about the important roles of bees in our ecosystems with the many resources found on the Bee Cause Project site. Choose from many lessons and curriculum guides for classrooms. Learn how to start and maintain your own hive through videos and webinars. Be sure also to watch the site for annual grant applications for schools to implement a honey bee hive and educational program.

In the Classroom

Download the many curriculum materials to include with teaching units on insects and ecosystems. Work together with other school classes to apply for the annual grant to receive a hive for your school. Encourage students to learn more about the many benefits of bees by sharing additional resources on a Padlet, reviewed here. Create columns on your Padlet to organize resources into topics such as books, videos, online information, and student research. Challenge students to use a game-creation tool like Scratch, reviewed here, to make a game about bees and their importance within local ecosystems.

Do you struggle to find quality resources for teaching STEM lessons? Check out over 260 lessons and units provided on this comprehensive website. Use filters to choose grade level, content, and type of activity, or use the keyword search to locate specific content. All resources include correlation to science standards and most include several interactives and online response options.

In the Classroom

Be sure to bookmark this site as a resource for many interactives and activities for teaching STEM topics. Place students work in groups to complete activities or share ideas from this site for science fair projects. Ask students to share their research and projects using a tool like PortfolioVillage, reviewed here. PortfolioVillage offers a variety of options for building a personalized webpage without knowledge of coding.

Learn the basics about tidepools through images and short text explanations at the Virtual Tidepool. Viewers have an introduction to tidepool features through three components: Tidepools, Challenges, and Inhabitants and Adaptations. Scroll down the page to view the images and hover your mouse over captions and red dots to learn more about specific features and survival strategies.

In the Classroom

Include the Virtual Tidepool with your other resources for teaching about biomes and oceans. Share the images and information with students on an interactive whiteboard or with a projector. Before hovering over captions or red dots ask students to predict what the information is. As students share questions about tidepools use an online sticky note tool like Sticky Notes: Just Popped Up!, reviewed here, to save their questions and research information throughout your unit. Have students create their own interactive images about tidepools using Thinglink, reviewed here, to add text, video, and more to their own image.

This archived Twitter chat is from June 2018 and will open in TweetChat. The title of this chat is - Infusing STEM Into Any Classroom. Through this chat participants will: 1. Discuss ways to incorporate STEM into any content area, 2. Share tech tools that promote STEM activities, and 3. Discuss ways to promote critical thinking skills through STEM education. Read the many comments and suggestions by both the moderator and other participants.

In the Classroom

Are you ready to infuse STEM into your classroom? Learn new STEM trends and tools for your classroom. Share this chat with your colleagues looking for sites and information about infusing STEM into the classroom. Explore the various tools that are shared.

FireWorks is a curriculum for all grade levels that teaches about the dangers of wildfires, specifically those that occur in the Northern America mountain ranges. Begin by selecting from the topics available on the home page. Download the entire curriculum as a PDF or choose individual components. All materials align with Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core Standards.

In the Classroom

Include materials from this site during your fire safety unit, Fire Prevention Week, or as part of your studies of North American biomes. Have students create free and easy websites using Carrd, reviewed here, to share information learned about fire safety, fire hazards, and fire prevention techniques. Ask students to create an online book incorporating videos, images, and more using Book Creator, reviewed here.

MySciLife is a free social learning platform for middle school classes. Join a MySciLife cohort after participation in a one-month online training cycle. Students participate in monthly exchanges with a global community through research and sharing science connections through writing activities. This platform works with any curriculum and includes a complete set of resource materials aligned to Next Generation Science Standards. MySciLife requires parental permission for student participation; all students post anonymously using their science "identity" names.

In the Classroom

Join MySciLife to bring excitement and energy to your science classroom. As you complete activities in the platform, use a concept mapping site like MindMup, reviewed here to replace paper/pencil version of a concept map. Ask students to create and share infographics based on their research and sharing of ideas. Canva, < a href="/single.cfm?id=17570">reviewed here is an easy to use site for creating infographics using pre-made templates or from scratch. Take student learning to a whole new level and have them create a game-based learning activity for their peers using Symbaloo Learning Paths reviewed here. Symbaloo Learning Paths offers many options for creating differentiated learning using video, quizzes, and more.

Explore the many resources shared by National Geographic at their home base created for educators. Monthly features highlight and share information related to current events. Select the "Teaching Resources" link to find ideas, activities, lessons, and units all searchable by grade and topic. Also, this section includes educational games and teacher guides. Choose the "Reference" link to find news and media information from the past plus current events. Be sure also to visit the "Mapping" section to find printable maps, mapmaking kits, and interactive maps.

In the Classroom

Bookmark and include the National Geographic site with your resources for planning social studies and science lessons. Share resources from the site on your interactive whiteboard then include a link on classroom computers for students to explore independently. There are many interesting articles and activities for students. Have them choose one; then, replace paper and pen by having them use an online notetaking tool like Webnote, reviewed here, to take notes or write questions as they research information online. Replace paper pen by asking students to write blogs sharing information learned using a site like Edublog, reviewed here. Edublog offers tools for creating class and individual blogs.

The Young Scientist Lab features materials for parents, students, and teachers to explore a world of scientific innovation and opportunities. Materials for teachers include lesson plans, interactives, and challenge support materials. For students, the site provides activities and features on scientists at work. The Family Activities section consists of several engaging experiments to perform at home for students in grades K-8.

In the Classroom

Add this site to your science lesson resources. As students complete activities ask them to create blogs describing their experiments and results. Pen.io, reviewed here is a simple tool for creating and sharing blogs for all grade levels. Have students share their science experiments through weekly or monthly podcasts using a podcasting tool like Podcast Generator, reviewed here. Don't forget to ask students to include both failures and successes when discussing their experiments!

This recording of an OK2Ask online professional learning session from May 2018, opens in Adobe Connect. Input and expertise from peers can help students learn and grow. Learn to use Flipgrid, a video discussion platform, to increase student voice in your classroom. This tech tool can enhance social learning through sharing short videos centered around a topic. Getting started is easy, and after this session, you will be ready to use Flipgrid to encourage every student to share what they know. Participants will: 1. Learn to create a basic classroom Flipgrid; 2. Understand ways to use Flipgrid to increase student voice in the classroom; and 3. Plan for the use of Flipgrid in the classroom. This session is appropriate for teachers at all technology levels.

In the Classroom

The archive of this teacher-friendly, hands-on webinar will empower and inspire you to use learning technology in the classroom and for professional productivity. As appropriate, specific classroom examples and ideas have been shared. View the session with a few of your teaching colleagues to find and share new ideas. Find additional information and links to tools at the session resource page. Learn more about OK2Ask and upcoming sessions here.

Scholastic presents eleven interactives introducing and reinforcing topics including food webs and symbiosis. Scroll through the page to select an activity. Each lesson includes a video, vocabulary terms, and a short quiz.

In the Classroom

View these interactives as a class to introduce different components of ecosystems and biomes. Share a link on class computers for students to view on their own as a science learning station. As students learn more about biomes, ask them to use ThingLink, reviewed here, to annotate an image. After uploading an image, ThingLink provides you with tools to add links to text, videos, and images to provide details explaining the original image. As a final project, have students create books sharing information about biomes. Have younger students use a tool like WriteReader, reviewed here. WriteReader includes options for including original spelling along with "correct" spelling underneath. For older students, create books using Book Creator, reviewed here. Book Creator includes many options to create online books including videos, audio, and images.

Play Mystery Animal using 20 questions to find out if you can guess the animal. Allow the site to access your device's microphone to play and ask questions one a time. Mystery Animal answers your question with up to 20 opportunities to guess the correct animal.

In the Classroom

Share Mystery Animal on your interactive whiteboard for use as a 5-10 minute transition during class time. Discuss different techniques for choosing questions to help narrow down possibilities with your students. If your class is preparing to do animal research, use Mystery Animal as an entertaining way to choose animals for individual student reports. After completing research, use an online tool like Sway, reviewed here, for students to present what they learned about their animal.

This site from New Zealand provides many different games focused on the environment and ecology. Select from various titles such as Electric Car Race and Catch the Rubbish. Each activity includes a suggested age level and level of difficulty. Be sure to read the directions for how to play the games and earn points.

In the Classroom

Select games from this site to include with Earth Day or environmental units. Include a link to games on classroom computers and your class website for students to access during learning centers or at home. Instead of using worksheets or short response quizzes, ask students to create an infographic sharing information learned during your science unit. Canva, reviewed here, offers easy to use templates for designing infographics. Collaborate with a classroom in a different state or country using Skype, reviewed here, to compare and contrast environmental issues found in your different locations. Continue your collaboration using FlipGrid, reviewed here, to create student video responses to essential questions raised during your ongoing discussions.

This collection of resources will help you research information about human body systems. Read the descriptions to find out whether a site sounds right for what you want to know. Some sites may be more challenging reading, while others may offer solid basic information. Be sure to try several sources. If you cannot find what you need here, you may want to try searching on TeachersFirst for specific keywords.

In the Classroom

This list also includes links to even more resources that are tagged human body and body systems. If you can't find an ideal tool on our list, search these additional provided topics. There are several device agnostic sites (available as both an app and on a web browser). These are ideal for the byod classroom.

Uncover resources related to evolution. Introduce your class to Darwin. Read the descriptions to find out whether a site sounds right for what you want to know. Some sites may be more challenging reading, while others may offer solid basic information. Be sure to try several sources. We have included a mix of interactives, lesson ideas, content, and more.

In the Classroom

List these tools on your website for students to use for review and preparation for a test. Share the interactive sites on your projector with the class. Have students work in cooperative learning groups and investigate the sites.

Find engaging tools related to genetics in this curated list. Read the descriptions to find out whether a site sounds right for what you want to know. Some sites may be more challenging reading, while others may offer solid basic information. Be sure to try several sources. Some resources offer lesson plans or activities, while others are basic content sites.

In the Classroom

List these tools on your website for students to use for review and preparation for a test. Share the interactive sites on your projector with the class. A few of these are device agnostic and available as both an app and on the web.

EEK! Nature Notes provides quick tips and information about wild animals, specifically those found in Wisconsin. Learn what to do if you find a baby wild animal, how to avoid ticks, and what to look for on a spring wildflower walk. Other sections dig deeper into sharing information about habitats and information on animals found around the state. Video clips reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view them at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as ClipGrab, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Include this site with your resources for teaching habitats, animals, and biomes. Use a bookmarking tool like Symbaloo, reviewed here, to share Nature Notes with students easily along with other websites. As students learn about animals and habitats, ask them to share information using ThingLink, reviewed here. ThingLink provides tools for adding video, web links, and additional information to images. To wrap up your unit, create a class book using Book Creator, reviewed here. Book Creator allows you to create online, multimedia books.

Here you will find the home page for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Choose from different areas on the site to search for environmental data, government policies, and the latest environmental topics. Use the "Your Community" area to search for information within a specific zip code or state. There are also many EPA videos that reside on YouTube. If your district blocks YouTube, the videos may not be viewable. You could always view them at home and bring them to class "on a stick" to share. Use a tool such as ClipGrab, reviewed here, to download the videos from YouTube.

In the Classroom

Bookmark this site to include with units on the environment and current events. Ask students to search for local environmental issues and concerns using search tools on the site. Encourage students to use a tool like Diigo, reviewed here, to keep track and highlight the important information they find. Upon completion of research, have students create infographics using a tool like Canva, reviewed here, to share the facts they find. Canva is easy to use and provides many templates for creating infographics. Ask students to create a podcast featuring information on the environment along with suggestions on how to solve environmental concerns. Podcast Generator, reviewed here, is a free tool for publishing audio and video podcasts.

This site provides information in response to student requests on the taiga biome to help answer questions and serve as a prompt to promote further study. Scroll through to view information divided into sections describing taiga, threats to the biome, and links to organizations interested in the future of the taiga.

In the Classroom

This site is very text intensive. Try using a word cloud tool like Wordsift, reviewed here, to identify and highlight important words found within the text to clarify content for all students, especially those with special learning needs. Wordsift also provides images and highlights text found within sentences to provide important context of information shared. As students complete the biome unit, ask them to create explanation videos sharing information from this site and others used during the unit. My Simpleshow, reviewed here, is an easy to use video creation tool designed to make explaining any topic simple and entertaining.